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Kadri’s grandfather laid groundwork for his NHL success

Nazem Kadri’s journey to NHL stardom can be traced to Lebanon and his grandfather’s fight to escape personal tragedy, economic strife and war.

The hockey player shares the same name as his grandfather, whom he calls “the original Nazem Kadri.”

The elder Kadri passed away in London, Ont. on Tuesday at the age of 76.

He leaves behind a wife, Sharfi, 68, six children (one was predeceased) and 21 grandchildren, one of whom has made the NHL.

The elder Kadri was orphaned as a 4-year-old when both parents passed away of strokes within months of each other. He was cared for by his grandparents, growing up in the small town of Kferdenis in the southern part of Lebanon.

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He was in and out of school, but by sheer persistence, he learned how to read and write Arabic on his own. Survival skills were learned early too. At 9, he was working full-time as a farmhand for other fruit farmers in the area.

That grim existence taught
his grandson
an important lesson in life: Fight for what you want.

“Nazem learned determination from my father,” the Maple Leafs player’s father, Samir, explained to the Star. “His advice to my son was: When you want something, go out and get it and work hard enough to get it.”

With economic deprivation and war all around him, Kadri decided to flee Lebanon in 1968 and take up a new life in Canada near relatives in Windsor and ultimately in London.

Facing language and racial barriers, the elder Kadri found low-paying work in factories and on the weekends as a cleaner at a bowling alley.

Fitting his children with equipment so they could play organized hockey was not possible. But he soon learned what hockey was all about.

One son in particular, Samir, fell in love with the game while watching
Hockey Night in Canada
.

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Shinny was as close as Samir ever got to playing the game, but he remembers the passion was so deep that he would tug on his skates and trudge two miles along a windswept field to get to a frozen pond.

Samir vowed that if he ever had a son, he would teach him the game.

He and wife Sue, 45, went on to have Nazem and four girls, Yasmine, now 24, Sabrine, 18, Rema, 14, and Rayanne, 10.

Nazem Kadri, the future Maple Leaf, started showing his promise early, and began dominating players his age when he was 7.

Always in the background was Kadri’s grandfather.

“I’d like to brag and say he got (hockey talent) from me,” Samir said. “My dad was more of hard worker.”

The Leafs’ Nazem Kadri considers his grandfather a builder. A builder of dreams.

“He’s the guy that really built the opportunity for us,” Kadri said. “Who knows? If he didn’t come over to Canada, I would have been born overseas and life would have been a lot different.

“He started the family. I get my name from him. He’s the original Nazem Kadri. It’s tough to see him go.”

At the 2009 NHL draft, Nazem had his father and grandfather at his side in Montreal when he realized a dream, and was drafted into the NHL by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“My dad was so excited,” Samir explained.

How could he have imagined that his path to Canada would make his grandson a star in a game so foreign to Lebanon, but so important to Canada?

“If it wasn’t for him, Nazem wouldn’t have the opportunity he has today,” Samir said.

In the past few years, Nazem’s grandfather was too ill to attend the games. He was suffering from diabetes, a severe case of arthritis in his hands, high blood pressure and a collapsed lung.

He had been living with son Hiseam while he was getting care. On Tuesday morning, he was scheduled to go for a doctor’s appointment.

“My sister came in and found him unconscious,” Samir said.

It was 7 a.m. and the Leafs’ Nazem Kadri was getting ready to go to practice when he heard the news.

“It was a little sudden, but he was in and out of the hospital the last couple of weeks,” Kadri said. “I’d be lying if I said that stuff wasn’t bothering me.”

Kadri missed a game against San Jose to attend the funeral. It is Muslim custom to bury the dead within 24 hours.

The 23-year-old lovingly called his grandfather “the Don” of the family.

With the Leafs on a five-game losing skid, Kadri’s father thinks that somewhere in the back of young Nazem’s mind is his grandfather’s advice: Fight through adversity.

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